Chapter 36. The Equation of Sangha Dhana

Sangha Dhana is a practice in Buddhism where an individual, either a lay devotee or monastic member, offers or gives something to the monastic community or the Sangha order which comprises of four or more Buddhist monks.

According to the Lord Buddha, the Sangha Dhana is karmically more fruitful than the giving made to (a) specific individual(s) who is a Buddhist Saint. The key practice in Sangha Dhana is to offer or give to the whole monastic group or order without specifying the recipient whether he (Bhikkhu) or she (Bhikkuni) is a Buddhist Saint or not.

However, when all of the factors in Sangha Dhana are equal, the offering or giving will be karmically more fruitful if the recipient-monks are Buddhist Saints who are regarded as better in quality as well as more in quantity or number.

Hence, we can derive a Dhammonomic equation of Sangha Dhana based on the equation of generosity whereas the ‘recipient’ factor is expressed as [(x₁^y) + (x₂^y) + (x₃^y) + (x₄^y) +… (x_a+^y)] whereas each function of ‘x’ represents each recipient with different or similar quality of Buddhist Sainthood (y) whilst the functions of (x) are available in number (a) at least four or more with an exception that a Buddhist monk(s) is assigned to represent a Sangha Order or monastic community in receiving the Sangha Dhana.

Finally, the whole functions of (x) is to the power of "s" which yields the merit energy in manifold when the factors of Sangha Dhana are fulfilled or completed per the Lord Buddha's requirements.

By Pirajak S. (Pittaya Wong)

29 November 2020